AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I told you that man couldn’t be trusted,” she scolds him. “You should have done away with him the minute your father, god rest his soul, passed.” She turns her attention back to me. “Why don’t you take her upstairs and I’ll bring her some Ibuprofen and an ice pack.”
“Thank you, Norma.”
It’s strange hearing him talk to this woman. Or hearing her speak to him. You can tell they care for one another by the way they look at each other. I briefly wonder if maybe she’s his grandma but decide he would likely not call her by her first name if she was.
Before I have a chance to introduce myself, Mateo leads me away, his hand pressed gently to the small of my back. I want to protest. I want to beg to stay with Norma. Norma, a woman I just saw for the first time yet felt oddly at ease with the moment I looked into her big brown eyes.
So many questions swirl in my head.
So many unknowns.
Mateo takes the stairs slowly, not once removing his hand from my back.
When we reach my room, he guides me inside before turning to close the door behind him.
I make my way toward the bed, gingerly taking a seat on the edge.
When I look up, Mateo is still by the door, his back pressed against the hard wood as he stares across the room at me.
My heartrate spikes.
The silence is deafening. Seconds seem to tick by in rapid succession as he stands there, regarding me as if he’s not sure what to say.
“I’m sorry,” I mutter, more afraid of his wrath above all others. I can’t imagine he’ll let this go unpunished and I shudder to think what that might mean for me. And right now, I don’t have the energy to fight against him.
“For what?” He crosses his arms in front of himself.
“For running. For trying to get away. For causing this whole mess.”
“Don’t be.”
“Excuse me?” I draw back slightly.
“I would have been disappointed had you not tried to run.”
“Wait? What?”
“Honestly, I’m surprised it took you this long.”
“Wait? What?” I repeat again.
“You’re a fighter, little bird. I respect that.”
“You’re not... You’re not mad?”
“Oh, I’m livid.” His mouth turns up in a half smile as he pushes away from the wall and crosses the room toward me.
“You don’t look livid.”
“I am, just not so much at you.” He lowers himself onto one knee in front of me so we’re eye to eye. “My men had strict orders not to harm you for any reason.”
I choose not to point out that Niko has threatened to shoot me at least a handful of times, but I’m fairly certain that’s nothing more than a scare tactic. And it’s worked, obviously.
His nearness reminds me again just how good looking he is. I know it sounds insane that something like that would come to my mind, but with him there’s no ignoring it.
“What will happen to him?” I ask, my voice breaking at the end.
“There can be no dissension in my ranks. What I say goes. If you disobey, there will be consequences.”
